Sorry for the brief reply----I'm staring at the pacific ocean here on the big island of Hawaii as I type....a few days of vacation after 4 gigs in 4 days on 4 islands.

We might be working a thing out with Alfred for distribution. MVD is currently handling it and I must say I'm underwhelmed by their performance. That being said, you can order it directly from us at Altitude Digital. Altitudedigital.com will ship it, same day, over to you in the UK. So--I hope you go through us and that it inspired cool ideas in your playing and thinking.

Just got back after 2 weeks on the road but wanted to check in and say, killer job at the MD festival! Loved your playing and love that the "gong bass" has become a staple in your set-up. I brought one of my tama gong bass drums along with me on this past tour and although it takes up a lot of room, they just hit you where it counts!!

OK, when you get back from Hawaii order yourself a matching 6" masterworks tom. Every time I look at your kit I just want to see a 6" there. I had Tama make me 6", Starclassic maple, birch and bubinga toms because although limited in range, nothing cuts through like a 6"!!

You know, I've wanted a 6" originally but Pearl couldn't make an optimount for a 6" and I didn't want the telescoping hardware through the shell. I have a Sonor Rosewood kit with a 6" and my Ayotte had a 6" and I loved them. But you know what? My high 8"x7" just KILLS and projects more than a 6" would to be quite honest. It gets that Phil Collins "gock" with tone. So I'm quite content really.

I know you were just in Orlando a couple weeks ago but are there any plans in the future to come to the Tampa Bay area for a clinic? Speaking of, how do the cities or stores for the clinics become chosen?

I know you were just in Orlando a couple weeks ago but are there any plans in the future to come to the Tampa Bay area for a clinic? Speaking of, how do the cities or stores for the clinics become chosen?

Todd,

My question exactly!?!?!?! I live in San Diego, San Jose is 471 miles from my lovely city and I would love it if we could have you down here...why is it cities like L.A. and others get all the good drummers showing up and the BEST city in CA never sees the talent here...I would love for you to hit the scene here...how does that happen? How do I become the promoter of such an event? I would love to see you along with a few others come into this city and give clinics!

Drummers really don't choose where they go to have a clinic. They have to be invited by the store/dealer to appear there. If I'm never invited by a store in Tampa or San Diego (or anywhere else) then I'll never come there.....because I can't invite myself, I have to be invited. The store/dealer has to carry Pearl/Sabian first off. Then the store contacts Pearl/Sabian and requests the clinic and the companies check on the artists availability. Budgets are worked out with clinician fee, airfare, hotel, and then the other companies (sticks, heads, mics) get involved. It's quite a process with involvement from many people. These events cost quite a bit of money as well, so it has to be worthwhile for the dealer and companies business wise.

drumhead61---if you are a Pearl/Sabian dealer, you could be the promoter of such an event. If you are not, it becomes increasingly difficult to get any sponsorship from the companies gear wise and dollar wise. The event would financially land entirely on you. That would be a financial burden for one to deal with all the gear, PA, space, fees, airfare, hotel, transportation, etc.

So that's that in a nutshell. Hope I've shed some light on the basics of the process!

Thanks a lot for the information...that is of course the perfect answer and tells me what I need to start working on to make something like this happen...no fast fix for sure, but I have to "drum" up the interest here in the San Diego area. It is amazing to me how DEAD this community appears to be when it comes to events and such that represent drummers. It is the same when it comes to the issue of drum purchases...one is stuck with GC being the main source of supply and frankly it is a supply in need of overhaul!

Drummers really don't choose where they go to have a clinic. They have to be invited by the store/dealer to appear there. If I'm never invited by a store in Tampa or San Diego (or anywhere else) then I'll never come there.....because I can't invite myself, I have to be invited. The store/dealer has to carry Pearl/Sabian first off. Then the store contacts Pearl/Sabian and requests the clinic and the companies check on the artists availability. Budgets are worked out with clinician fee, airfare, hotel, and then the other companies (sticks, heads, mics) get involved. It's quite a process with involvement from many people. These events cost quite a bit of money as well, so it has to be worthwhile for the dealer and companies business wise.

drumhead61---if you are a Pearl/Sabian dealer, you could be the promoter of such an event. If you are not, it becomes increasingly difficult to get any sponsorship from the companies gear wise and dollar wise. The event would financially land entirely on you. That would be a financial burden for one to deal with all the gear, PA, space, fees, airfare, hotel, transportation, etc.

So that's that in a nutshell. Hope I've shed some light on the basics of the process!

Leadfoot---cool. Hope you dig it. I'll be debuting a new track I received from Jerry Goodman that day. It goes from 15/8 to 4/4 to 7/4 to 17/8. See you there!

Supermac---the fills in question aren't quads at all. I go through different permutations of this fill and fills like it in the DVD. (Again, available worldwide from Altitudedigital.com) It's hard to explain it just typing....

It's 4 with the hands and 2 with the feet. But it's in 32 note triplets I think-- with the 4th note of the hands on the "1"---and the three previous notes are the pick up that begins on the "and" of 4. There are also triplets mixed in (conjunctions, as I explain in the dvd) that are R hand and 2 bass drums.

I hope that makes some sense! If you get the dvd and go through the 20 plus section on hand/foot double bass drum combos on disc 2, it should become clear.

I can't tell you how much it means to have you participate here. Compared to snail mail and writing to MD, this is almost like being in the same room.

I have greatly enjoyed your work. You are a more than worthy successor to John Panozzo (RIP). I think you bring a sophisticated approach to playing, and have elevated Styx music in many ways. I look forward to your dvd when I get back to the USA.

I saw that you did shows in Washington with REO , and all I could do was live it vicariously through the overwhelmingly positive comments by my friends that attended.

This is my last deployment, so I intend to catch your show the next time through.

Also Todd, to reiterate that last post, thanks for coming here & making yourself accesible for questions and discussions, it's very cool of you to do so & it speaks well of your character.

Agreed! Todd, your presence here sure does boost morale for many of us. I constantly look forward to viewing your responses to our members questions, especially when you answer our personal ones. We sure do feel special when you take the time out of your busy schedule to do so. It's not everyday that we are able to associate with our favorite drummers.

trkdrmr---thanks for your kind words. They are greatly appreciated and I hope you stay safe over there. My best to you, and make it home soon!

Leadfoot and That Guy--- I'm just a guy who plays drums---just like you and everyone else here. I'm happy to interact, answer questions, and pass on any information to whomever wants to hear it. I do appreciate the sentiments!

Off to do 4 clinics in the midwest. Come on out and say hi if you live in any of the places listed earlier in this post.

Hey Todd,
Great clinic today in Champaign, very inspiring. I can hear my Sonors calling me into the drum room right now, it's good that my closest neighbor is a half mile away! It was great meeting you & btw, Taylor's album is great, thanks, Brian.
For those of you thinking of buying the Methods & Mechanics dvd, do it, it's great.

I just use my ears. Drums have a sweet spot where they want to "live" and the better the drum, the bigger the sweet spot. I have no techniques or methods other than the ears on my head.

That ride is fantastic but honestly, it's too light for live gigs with Styx. I gravitate towards 22's....maybe they could make a 22" that's a touch heavier. But then again, I love the washiness of that 20". Ahh, choices......but that 20" was just sitting in the Sabian office marked "prototype" and I just left with it. Simple as that. The 22" Precision is way heavier and louder with a bell that won't quit.

OK!

Aloha and mahalo from Honolulu en route to Maui....

Todd

Very interesting, thanks for the info!

On to the next question - any advice on getting more of a "thonk" sound out of the snare drum? For the life of me, no matter how I tune I always seem to get more toward "gack" then the former.. Is it a matter of head tension, snare tension, or maybe even snare count (12 or 18 strand vs typical 20)? And I RARELY use muffling of any sort on my snares. Coated Ambassadors over Hazy Ambassadors most of the time.

On your DVD, that beige-ish snare looks like a ProMark Anniversary snare! That has a sound I'm looking for!

Blink44---thanks a lot. To answer your questions, we were in BC about 3 or four times in the last two years. Not sure when we will be back but we were there fairly recently. Just keep an eye on the schedule at Styxworld.com. I can do more with trad than matched---it's "home" for me. If you learn both ways you have more options and will spur your thinking in different ways. Hope our paths cross one day too.

Brian--it was cool to meet you in Champaign. I just got back from the clinic run and I think each one was better than the one before--so you saw the "warm up" one but glad you dug it nonetheless. And thanks for the kind words on the DVD!

Slopsbop--my DAW is very humble and still not functional yet. I have the big boy Mac tower, a Yamaha 01v96, my one piece of nice gear is a Presonus ADL 600 tube mic pre, Pro Tools LE, monitors, full mic set up from Audix.......I really haven't dealt with it yet and it really is sort of a "learning station" for me at this point. Thanks for the positive feedback on the dvd. I really appreciate it.

Dominick--try cranking the bottom head. I mean crank it! Then go medium with the top and see what happens. Don't have the snare tension to tight. The Pro Mark drum is a killer as is everything made by Pete Stanbridge. (Stanbridgedrums.com) His site is a great snare porn site.
Hope I've steered you in the right direction.

Hi Todd. First off, thanks for the amazing DVD - it's so full of awesome stuff and has really inspired me lately in a great many ways.

My question is about the cymbals you use in the Jazz sections - they sound (and look) fantastic, but have no logos or markings (great jazz cymbals shouldn't, I guess). You have a flat with a sizzle chain for a second right side ride, is this the HH model? The other RSR looks like a Legacy to me (maybe?) and do you use Groove Hats? I think the grooves may show up on few other set-ups you use throughout the DVD, am I right?

Overall, your cymbal set-ups are incredible in every section - just fantastic sound for the whole thing.

I don't have any Groove Hats. The hats used on the big kit were mostly 14" HHX Evolutions, and then on the triple snare solo motif were 13" HH Bright Hats. Thanks again for getting the DVD and dropping me a note!

Blink--- the DVD is available world wide at Altitudedigital.com. Try this:

If you ORDER ONLINE it will ship same day.....right to your mail box! You're not gonna find it in many stores. It's like an "indie" record in a way. Use the internet! Right on, man....glad you're digging "Tears." One of my favorite Jerry Goodman compositions.

Todd
I just watched the BW documentary. It was very moving and maybe, albiet all the joy and good vibrations that emanated from the soiree, a triffle sad. It was inspiring the respect this man gets from his peers. I was never a great BB fan but have gained a greater degree of respect now that the lens have given me a new view of the man and his magic. Your playing was inspiring and phenominal to say the least. Believe it or not, my favorite Styx album remains the Extended Versions series. I love the live stuff! Do you and the 'Hitt' man (Brian) compare and exchange licks? I thought I noticed some similar passages, especially with the double pedal. Thanks for the rockin'...

Congrats on your DVD! I love your playing and it has infused new ideas in me and given me new refreshing inspiration for the drums. I've been a fan for years every since I saw Powerhouse live in Chitown.

Tears of Joy is a great performance and will have many drummers trying to figure it out for years. My question, since I can't find the answer, nor seen it asked, is have you played other songs with Jerry Goodman that are available on disc? I only see a few albums from 2000 available by him, I believe Ariel and a live CD? Are you on those or others?

Which Brian doc did you see? Smile? The making of "That Lucky Old Sun"? (There are two versions of that--one was on VH1 Classic, and there is a deluxe version on the new CD with a bonus dvd doc/performances.) Anyway, glad you dug it. Brian is a genius and one of the nicest people on the planet. As for Bryan Hitt, we just chat. We've never really played together or anything. Thanks for writing and for your feedback.

Bobhead--

Wow---Powerhouse! You're going way back now! Those were fun times.

Thanks for getting the "Methods and Mechanics" dvd. I'm happy to hear that your getting inspiration from it and I hope it continues to give you good things to think about and work on. Great!

Sadly, Jerry's records are out of print (I think). You can search at Amazon and pick them up from independent sellers. That's what I did with Ariel and the other studio one, and the name escapes me at the moment. "It's Alive" is my favorite one. Jim Hines is the drummer, and Paul Wertico plays a few tracks on one of the studio ones. I'm not on them and didn't meet Jerry until the mid 90s. But I always loved "Tears Of Joy" and I had him whip up the track "Going On 17" for me to play at clinics. He's a true musical genius. Thanks again for dropping me a note!

trkdrmr--
Just got home from Seattle. Had a great time there.

Off to Florida for 3 shows with the band and then on to San Jose for a clinic at Pro Drum on Nov 17th. Any San Jose folks--come out and say hello!

Todd... show me the way...
After a long time drumming, I've decided to go through the rigors of learning and hopefully mastering the heel/toe technique. Reason? Speed and a fuller sound for those 'big endings'. Am I just fooling myself? (puns intended... sorry) You have some of the best big endings I've heard. Do you use the h/t. If not, is there a reason? Do you have any clinics planned for the Spokane area? SJ just to damn far away.

Todd, I hope you read this post so that you will know what a sensation you new DVD is!!!! It's like taking a lesson from a star which is imposible for the little guys like me. I just got it last week and hopefully I will be able to finish it!!!! I mean, every time I start watching it I see something that makes me say, HEY!!! how the hell did he do that???. So I work on the lick and start watching again when,,WHAM!!!! there's another wow!!! You get the picture... Seriously, this is the best DVD I have EVER watched for several reasons but the most important one is how you connect with the viewer and make it seem like it's a personal lesson. Straight, down to earth and totally enjoyable. I have to tell ya that the comment about the Tony Williams lick being like projectile vomit had me laughing so hard I had beer running out of my nose!!!! Hope to meet you in person someday and shake your hand.

I really don't use heel/toe. It was just never natural or comfortable for me. You just missed me in the Pacific NW. I did clinics in Salem and Seattle. I won't be doing clinics in Spokane unless I'm invited by your shop---I (or any other drummer) doesn't choose where they do clinics. They have to be invited!

Stillgroovin--

Thanks for your enthusiastic comments. I really appreciate it! You know, I surely don't think the dvd is a "sensation" but I'm happy you are getting a lot out of it. A sensation to me denotes huge sales, which in this sluggish economy, could be better. What you can do is take that enthusiasm--like letting me know you dig it---and let OTHERS know about it by adding posts to topics like "drum dvds" on this board and other boards. It's very much like an indie record....so your word of mouth is important and deeply appreciated! I'm really happy you are enjoying it on such a deep level and I'm truly flattered. Let your other drummer pals know how you feel! And thanks again.

hey Todd, thanks for the reply. The h/t don't feel natural to me either, but neither do poly-rhythms... lol. Well, I shall persevere with the process, but it's good to know single strokes on bd sound the way they do. Does your dvd review grand rolls on the bd? Thanks again... a real lose- Mitch Mitchell